On the 13th, Lee Kang-deok, mayor of Pohang, said, "If steel collapses, there is no advanced industry," and added, "Steel is the backbone of the semiconductor, artificial intelligence (AI), and electric vehicle industries."
Lee stated accordingly at the "TK100 Forum" held at the Daegu Sports Industry Support Center that day.
The forum that day was held under the theme "The future of Pohang, the tomorrow of steel." Lee presented Pohang's future industrial vision and a strategy to innovate the steel industry.
Lee said, "The difficulty in the steel economy is a problem for Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province as a whole, as well as for the national economy," adding, "Pohang is pursuing a variety of policies, including designating preemptive response areas for industrial crises, extending special support areas for small and midsize enterprises, and joint responses to overcome the steel industry crisis."
At the same time, as concrete solutions to overcome this crisis, Lee proposed ▲ swift enactment of the K-steel law ▲ cuts to industrial electricity rates ▲ establishment of a one-stop trade and commerce control tower ▲ financial and tax package support.
Pohang has asked the National Assembly for budget support of about 210.5 billion won in national funds. This includes a project to provide interest subsidy support to help overcome the steel industry crisis.
Lee said, "We will work closely with the government and the National Assembly for the sustainable growth of Pohang's steel industry and the recovery of the regional economy."